A recent study has shown that prolonged electrical stimulation of the ventral premotor cortex can evoke complex defensive movements. Moreover, neurons in this region show activity correlated with the vigour of an induced defensive reaction. These results support the idea that this cortical region encodes goal-related actions.

Opportunities exist for replacing reduced height (Rht) genes Rht-B1b and Rht-D1b with alternative dwarfing genes, such as the gibberellin-responsive gene Rht12, for bread wheat improvement. However, a comprehensive understanding of the effects and mode of action of Rht12 is lacking. In the present study, the effects of Rht12 were characterized by analyzing its effects on seeding vigour, seedlin...

Periodic drought events present a significant and, with climate change, increasing constraint on temperate forage plants' production. Consequently, improving plants' adaptive response to abiotic stress is a key goal to ensure agricultural productivity in these regions. In this study we developed a new methodology, using both area-based comparison and soil water content measurements of individua...

Early vigour is an important physiological trait to improve establishment, water-use efficiency, and grain yield for wheat. Phenotyping large numbers of lines is challenging due to the fast growth and development of wheat seedlings. Here we developed a new photo-based workflow to monitor dynamically the growth and development of the wheat canopy of two wheat lines with a contrasting early vigou...

A conflict between one’s professional life and one’s family life may lead to lower well-being both at work and home. Most nurses are women who have traditionally reconciled their professional life with family life. One aim of this study was to examine the relationships between the work-family conflict (WFC), the family-work conflict (FWC), and the perception of job demands (quantitative workloa...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate whether mouth rinsing or ingesting carbohydrate (CHO) solutions impact on perceptual responses during exercise. METHODS Nine moderately trained male cyclists underwent a 90-min glycogen-reducing exercise, and consumed a low CHO meal, prior to completing an overnight fast. A 1-h cycle time trial was performed the following morning. Four trial...